


I Hold a Place for You

by ellewrites



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Bruce Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Multi, No Thanos Basically, Oral Sex, mentioned Bruce/Nat, no hurt just comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 17:43:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellewrites/pseuds/ellewrites
Summary: When Tony got the call from Everett Ross he thought he might actually swallow his tongue. Despite how stubborn Tony was, it had been over two years and he had kind of given up on the idea that Bruce would ever come back. Well – maybe one day. But Tony had searched the entire globe ten times over for him and Bruce might have been good at hiding, but it seemed impossible that he wouldn’t have found him with his connections. He didn’t even have a plan for what he was going to do if he had found him – honestly Tony probably would have left him alone. Because clearly he did not want to be found. But it would have made him feel better to know where he was, that he was safe.But now he knew. He was here. In a CIA facility. As the Hulk.





	I Hold a Place for You

**Author's Note:**

> Woohoo Rarepair Wednesday! I'm cheating and doing the free square super early on because I just really really wanted to write this. This whole idea came about thanks to a conversation with seekingsquake. <3 But I also want to say thank you to 44TayLo for chatting with me about the set up here. I would never have thought of Everett Ross by myself! And thank you to dr_zofia_bites for setting up the polyamory challenge to kick my butt into gear on this one. ;-)

When Tony got the call from Everett Ross he thought he might actually swallow his tongue. Despite how stubborn Tony was, it had been over two years and he had kind of given up on the idea that Bruce would ever come back. Well – maybe one day. But Tony had searched the entire globe ten times over for him and Bruce might have been good at hiding, but it seemed impossible that he wouldn’t have found him with his connections. He didn’t even have a plan for what he was going to do if he _ had _ found him – honestly Tony probably would have left him alone. Because clearly he did not want to be found. But it would have made him feel better to know where he was, that he was safe.

But now he knew. He was here. In a CIA facility. As the Hulk. 

Tony still wasn’t entirely sure that Bruce wanted to see him. But when he disappeared after Ultron, Tony had threatened every agency on the planet that if they took Bruce in and he wasn’t the very first person they contacted he would rip up every contract, destroy every credit line, and make sure they never worked with Stark Industries again. The last thing he wanted was for Bruce to end up in Thaddeus’ hands. Yeah, he was over the State Department now and not the military, but Tony was sure Bruce had never fallen off his radar either. 

So surely he had to be infinitely better than _ that _ – right?

But his nerves were on overdrive as he walked into the facility. He fought the urge to play with his hair by shoving his hands into his pockets. Pepper had kissed his cheek and told him not to be nervous – it was Bruce. _ Their _ Bruce. But the last time they had been together had been an unmitigated disaster and honestly, Tony still wasn’t exactly sure what happened. One minute he was in bed with him, the next he was talking about Nat, and then he was running away to God knows where and Tony was left picking up the pieces, like always. 

Well, and then everything went to shit, but Bruce wasn’t there. No one was there. He’d had no one. 

But now... Now things were different. And the Hulk was in a CIA holding cell and he was meeting Everett Ross in the corridor, holding out a hand to shake. 

“I really appreciate you heeding my advice,” Tony said and Everett gave him a tight smile. 

“Your terms seemed pretty non-negotiable,” Everett replied and Tony pulled up one of his billionaire grins. 

“You’re not wrong.” 

Everett swiped a card over a panel, the door in front of them sliding open and Everett held out his hand in a clear ‘after you’ motion and Tony stepped forward. 

“We can transport the holding cell directly on to the helicarrier if you’d like,” Everett was saying and Tony looked over as he joined him at the shoulder. 

“He can’t walk out of here?” Tony asked and Everett tried not to grimace. 

“The Hulk?” 

“Yeah – the Hulk. He’s a sentient being,” Tony argued, feeling his hackles rise even though he didn’t really want to give Everett a hard time after everything he’d done for him. “Has he been... difficult?” 

From Tony’s understanding, he had only been in holding for a couple days. A ship appeared in orbit with Thor and a few thousand displaced Asgardians plus the Hulk and Thor somehow decided to get in touch with the US government and since Everett had been tasked with monitoring the Avengers after the Sokovia Accords he was called in for his expertise. It was confusing to Tony – he didn’t understand why Thor made that decision or why there were Asgardian refugees or why Bruce hadn’t transformed back but it didn’t matter. He was here now and he was going to pick up the pieces. 

“No, not really,” Everett admitted. “Loud, though.” 

Tony made a sound in the back of his throat that could have really meant anything and he tried not to be as nervous as he felt. Two years and he was going to go face to face with the Hulk. While the Hulk had never really scared him – not like some of the others – it was still intimidating. He wasn’t going to like having been locked up. Tony didn’t even know if he’d still be pissed about their little mano a mano in Johannesburg. Whyever Bruce hadn’t come back, it didn’t bode extremely well for Tony and he knew that. But then, the Hulk was still Bruce – in one form or fashion. And he wasn’t going to keep him in a fucking cage. 

“I think it would be better for all of us if we could get him out without a cage.”

They stopped in front of another door and Everett looked at him with that tired expression that seemed second nature to him and he sighed. 

“We’ll see how it goes, yeah?” 

Tony figured that was the best he could for from the CIA so he nodded his head as Everett swiped his card again. An offensively inferior system but then Bruce didn’t need to be contained like that to begin with so he almost couldn’t be offended. 

When the doors slid open Tony swallowed hard as his eyes took in the sparse room with a containment cell in the middle – clearly not made for the Hulk as it was too small and he was forced to sit but strong enough to still contain him. Or maybe the Hulk wasn’t really trying. Either way Tony’s heart was in his throat as he approached slowly, Hulk’s back to him, leaning up against the edge of the container, breathing deeply – maybe asleep. 

This wasn’t right. Tony felt it deep under his skin. This wasn’t right at all and he wasn’t going to let Bruce leave here like this. 

“Can he hear me?” Tony asked Everett, who hung back by the door and just nodded his head. 

Tony stood right in front of the glass, staring at the great green body of his friend, a man he’d searched the entire world for, a man he still loved deeply, and he reached out and touched the glass. 

“Hey Big Guy,” he said. 

It was immediately clear the Hulk had not been sleeping and he turned his head to look Tony in the eye. The wounded look in his huge green eyes pained Tony in a way he wasn’t expecting and his heart thudded in his chest as the Hulk turned away again, raising one big hand in a shooing motion. 

“Come on, don’t be like that buddy,” Tony cooed, hating the hurt note in his own voice. “I’ve come to get you out of here.” 

“Tony not care,” Hulk’s gravelly voice declared sadly. “No one care about Hulk on Earth. Earth hate Hulk.”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Tony said, almost a plea, refusing to drop his hand. “Earth doesn’t hate Hulk. I don’t hate Hulk. I came, didn’t I? And I even have a surprise for you.”

Tony was encouraged by the way Hulk twitched at the mention of a surprise and he gave him a moment to build sufficient interest. Finally the Hulk stood in a painful crouch that made Tony want to go ring the neck of whatever idiot thought this was an acceptable cell for him and turned to face Tony. 

“Surprise?” he asked, blinking slowly. 

For some reason he looked different to Tony than he had before. More confident, maybe? More thoughtful? He had never seen the Hulk so calm before. He didn’t understand what had happened to him off world and he didn’t understand why he wasn’t Bruce when he had sat here for how long, as calmly as he had. Although he desperately wanted to ask, Tony knew from experience that the Hulk hated talking about Bruce, so he refrained. But still – selfishly he hoped that they could get Bruce back.

“Yeah, a surprise. A good one.” Tony smiled as the Hulk approached and he stared down at him from the top of the cage as if assessing his intent. “But we gotta get you out of here first, okay? It’s on my helicarrier.”

Hulk huffed then, his fists tightening. 

“Tony lies,” he growled, his big green eyes looking truly betrayed. “Plane has big cage. Banner knows.”

“No. No,” Tony repeated. “It’s _ my _ helicarrier – my personal helicarrier. There are no cages on there. Just a big ol’ bed for Hulk – if he wants.”

Hulk seemed to be considering that, his face guarded but clearly thinking it through. Slowly. But thinking nonetheless.

“Banner miss Tony,” Hulk admitted grudgingly and Tony thought he might literally go into cardiac arrest just hearing that because holy _ fuck _ had he missed Bruce. 

“Hulk not trust Tony...” he said slowly and it was like whiplash reeling him across the car and back but then – 

Then Hulk was placing his big hand up on the glass panel between them, right on top of Tony’s little one. It was probably three times the size, Tony’s hand could fit in his palm, but Tony didn’t even flinch. That was _ his _ Bruce, _ his _ Hulk, reaching out to _ him _. 

“But Hulk miss Tony too.” 

Tony could feel his eyes want to betray him as he sucked in his bottom lip and bit down on it. He swallowed compulsively a few times before trusting himself to speak. 

“Tony missed Hulk too, you know,” he said and Hulk must have heard the sincerity in his voice because his expression softened a little too, his eyes looking so much like Bruce he just hoped Bruce was listening. 

“I need you to tell this guy you’re going to be good if he lets you out of here and just come straight with me onto the helicarrier, okay?” Tony asked after a moment, staring straight into his eyes. 

Hulk huffed again. “Hulk always good.”

Tony couldn’t help but grin at that. “I know, but I’m smarter than these guys.” 

He could practically feel Everett rolling his eyes as he stepped forward. Hulk’s eyes shifted to him, distrust back.

“Hulk go with Tony. Hulk be good,” he declared and Everett gave Tony a cautious look but Tony just grinned a smug little grin.

“Hulk is my friend,” he said. “And my teammate. I told you he didn’t need a cage.”

The Hulk seemed to puff with pride a little at that and Everett just sighed. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he muttered under his breath where Tony almost didn’t catch it as he input a series of numbers into the keypad on the cell and then ran his card, unlocking the door. 

The seal slid open with a clang and Tony reached for the handle to pull it back, a symbolic move that he hoped would mean something to the Hulk. He was releasing him. And not to be put back into a worse cage. Tony wanted him to have his freedom. Whether the Hulk trusted him or not it didn’t matter because that was his choice. He just really, _ honestly _ wanted the Hulk to be free. 

Hulk lumbered out of the cage as the two men took a step back, letting him stretch his cramped muscles and he grinned at the feeling of it. 

“No more cage,” Hulk said and Tony nodded his head, grinning up at the giant beast. 

“No more cage,” he agreed. “Pinkie promise.”

Hulk tilted his head in confusion. “Pinkie promise?” 

“Yeah, um,” Tony laughed, holding up his pinkie. “This is your pinkie finger.” 

Hulk imitated him, the large fingers of his right hand curling into a fist but for his pinkie, staring at it, bewildered. Tony took his whole hand and placed it on that one big finger. 

“There, pinkie promise. You can never break a pinkie promise. It’s legally binding. That’s the rule.”

Tony hazarded a glance for Everett who now looked like _ he _ might be the one who was going to have a cardiac event but Tony couldn’t help his shit eating grin. 

“You ready for your surprise, Big Guy?” he asked and Hulk nodded eagerly. “Well then, lead the way, good sir.” 

Everett looked extremely doubtful but he stepped forward to lead them back to the helicarrier and true to his word, the Hulk followed along behind Tony very calmly. There really wasn’t much to hurt or smash in the corridors that went back to the docking bay – but then, Tony supposed, when you were transporting war criminals and other unsavory types in containment cells you probably wanted rather nondescript corridors. 

“I would say it was a pleasure doing business with you,” Tony said as they reached their connection port, “but we both know you were only trying to save your own skin.”

“Say what you will,” Everett replied coolly, shooting a quick glance at the Hulk, “but better you than me.”

Tony just gave him a quick, perfunctory smile before leading Hulk through the jet bridge. He seemed uncomfortable on the relatively flimsy structure but it wasn’t a far walk and Tony was pressing his hand into the biometric reader and entering the helicarrier. 

He related a message to the pilot that they were ready to rock and roll, though he knew it would probably be at least a good twenty minutes before they were in the air again. He also knew he wouldn’t truly be comfortable until then. Although he fought for the oversight of the Sokovia Accords, working with the government always made him feel skeevy and used – especially when they locked his buddy in a tiny cage and acted like it was in some way necessary. 

Hulk studied the ship with mild interest as they walked back to the living quarters. It was smaller than the helicarriers Tony had designed for SHIELD, truly a more personal aircraft meant in case of emergency. He had a few small jets on it and part of the legion and a dining hall and a gym and living quarters that had once been outfitted for all the Avengers but now remained only for Rhodey, Nat, Thor, and Bruce after Clint decided to cut him deep with Steve and then rub salt in the wound. The space would always be there for them, but it wasn’t personalized any more, and Tony tried not to feel shitty about that.

But he hadn’t lied to Hulk. Bruce’s room was outfitted with a larger than normal bed, reinforced for Hulk’s weight, and he lead him into it now. Hulk didn’t seem particularly impressed by the space but he figured there was nothing terribly exciting about being on a ship for the Hulk. 

“Hey FRIDAY, can you send in Hulk’s surprise?” Tony asked, looking over at Hulk with a wane grin. 

It was a gamble but then... at this point he had no choice. Whether Bruce wanted to see her or not, she was here. 

Hulk perked up at that though and he noticed Tony was looking expectantly at the door and decided to follow his lead, watching as the door slid open and Betty walked in. 

Betty was a beautiful woman and they had grown close over the past year and a half, her living with him and Pepper upstate and though it hadn’t meant to happen that way, she slowly became part of their relationship too. It seemed beyond Tony’s ability to deny his attraction to impossibly intelligent, dark haired scientists – though, he supposed, the same could be said of Pepper. 

But Betty seemed especially beautiful right then, taking in the Hulk for the first time in who knows how many years, her heart written all over her face as she stepped forward cautiously, a smile threatening to break across her lips but she just couldn’t let it. And it only took a moment of Hulk studying her curiously until it clicked and he seemed to stumble forward to meet her, reaching out with an impossibly gentle hand. 

“Hey,” she said softly, reaching a hand back and pressing it to his palm. 

Pepper had walked in behind her but she was nearly forgotten in the moment until she gripped Tony’s shoulder, eyes wide in surprise and fear. It occurred to Tony then that Pepper had never seen the Hulk up close and personal. He reached back and covered her hand. 

And then Pepper jumped as the Hulk stumbled forward onto his knees, moaning low in his throat like he was in pain but Tony had a good feeling it was of the emotional variety and not dangerous. He reached out, grasping Betty so gently behind the waist as he pulled her to him. It might have felt voyeuristic to watch but frankly he loved them both so much what he really felt was an extreme sense of pride that he was able to bring them together after so much time apart. 

Pepper gasped as his skin began to writhe in anticipation of his transformation and Tony’s heart started to pound in his chest. Bruce. Bruce was coming back to them. After two fucking years, Bruce was going to come _ back _. 

Betty’s eyes filled with tears as she ran her hand over his head, soothing him gently as he cried out, struggling with the transformation harder than Tony had ever seen before. He felt helpless as he watched, listening to the howling sob wrenched from Hulk’s throat as he crunched back down into puny Banner and all that was left was a pale naked man shuddering as he clung to Betty like a lifeline. 

Much as he wanted to go to him, Tony stood back and watched as Betty fell to her knees, bundling him up in her arms, kissing his temple and telling him over and over again that he was okay. Tony looked over at Pepper, who looked just as stricken as he felt, having a difficult time standing there doing nothing when two people they loved were falling apart but also respecting them both enough to know they needed this moment together too. 

But as Bruce quieted Betty looked over his head at them, motioning them over with her eyes, and Tony sure as hell wasn’t going to wait to be asked twice. He immediately found himself at Bruce’s side, on his knees as well, wrapping his arms around him too, around his waist, locking him into a group hug whether he wanted to it or not, breathing in deeply the familiar smell of his new, naked skin and feeling tears prick along his eyelids. 

“We’re all here,” Pepper said kindly as she knelt next to him too, rubbing his arm firmly, grounding him. “We’re all here for you.” 

Bruce was sniffling and trying to make sense of what was happening. Tony knew it had to be overwhelming but he frankly didn’t give a fuck. He missed him so damn badly it hurt in places he didn’t even realize he could feel and he’d be damned if he was going to let him go now. 

“Do you want some clothes?” Pepper was asking – always thinking of the practical things – and Tony looked across Bruce’s shoulder at him as he looked up at Betty, a faint blush across his cheeks, and they laughed tearily at each other. 

“I – I guess. Yeah. I...”

Pepper ran her hand across his short hair and kissed the side of his head and stood to get him something standard issue from the drawers there and Tony caught the look of panic in his face as he looked from Pepper back to Betty and he realized that to Bruce, what they had here wasn’t obvious. And he buried his head back in Bruce’s neck for the last few moments he had because it wasn’t going to be particularly easy to explain either. 

When Pepper returned she handed Tony the clothes to help Bruce get into and held her hand out for Betty to help her stand. Bruce’s bewildered face was exactly the same as Hulk’s, Tony noted with no small amount of amusement, and he grabbed Bruce’s hand and placed it on his shoulder to help steady him as he unfurled the sweats and held them low for Bruce to step into. 

Pepper was holding Betty’s hand tightly in a way that Tony was sure seemed more intimate than friends – because it was – and Bruce looked back at them then back to Tony as Tony helped him pull up the pants. It was difficult but he managed to restrain himself from grabbing him by the waist and pulling him into a hug, a kiss, something, some way of showing him how much he’d missed him but Bruce was clearly confused and vulnerable and he didn’t want to make it worse. So he just removed Bruce's hand from his shoulder as he straightened up, running his thumb lovingly across his knuckles, before dropping it and unfolding the soft gray shirt and slipping it over his head. 

When he was fully dressed he turned back to Betty and Pepper, watching their hands fall apart as Betty stepped closer to him, smile faltering on her lips as his whole face tightened up in confusion. 

“I don’t understand,” Bruce finally said at last, his voice coming out thick and hoarse from crying. “You can’t be here,” he told Betty. “Your dad – I’m still –”

“Ross isn’t over the military anymore,” Tony explained and Betty was nodding her head. 

“He’s Secretary of State – his power is limited,” she confirmed but Bruce laughed sarcastically. 

“Secretary of State!” he exclaimed, as if that was even worse, and it might have seemed that way but for the fact that he was forced into more bureaucracy and the military didn’t report directly to him any more – nor did they want to. He owed far more favors than he had in return. 

“And I’m protecting her,” Tony argued, unable to believe this was the topic he wanted to go over and not the obvious fact they were having a threesome with his former girlfriend. “Just like I did you.”

Bruce looked desperately from Tony back to Betty and Pepper but Pepper was nodding along. 

“I promise,” Pepper said, “we are taking very good care of her.” 

His shoulders slumped in defeat as his eyes turned to her and she tried to smile. 

“I’m sorry,” she said at last, the last thing Tony was expecting her to say. “It’s hard to say no to Tony Stark.”

They shared a kind of smile at that that Tony couldn’t interpret and then they were both laughing and Tony shot Pepper a confused look and she kind of shrugged, clearly in a similar state of confusion but going with it. 

“I just – I don’t –” he stumbled as he wiped at his eyes, looking back at Tony with a look of wonder and – finally – affection, a look that Tony had been waiting for, a look that supercharged the blood in his veins, before sharing that look with Pepper and then Betty.

“Can you – do you want to sit down?” Tony asked and Bruce turned back to him. “I hate to do this to you first thing after being away for two years but – we need to talk.”

Bruce grunted, his face falling a little and Tony hated that. 

“Can see a lot has changed in two years,” he muttered under his breath. 

Pepper made to shove him affectionately but stopped short of the action given the circumstances – namely that he’d just come down from a Hulk out – and cleared her throat instead. 

“Don’t discourage him,” she teased instead. “It’s been a nice change of pace.”

Betty had taken his hand and lead him to the edge of the bed where they sat, her gently touching his face like she still couldn’t believe he was real, and Tony took up the other side with Pepper next to him. He was still staring at Betty in amazement, holding her hand tightly between both of his own, and Tony tried to smile as he reached out for him, placing a firm hand on his other cheek. 

That got Bruce’s attention and he turned to look him in the eyes, his own warm brown ones conflicted about this sudden show of affection from him. 

“When you left, I searched the whole entire world for you,” Tony said softly. “I know you probably didn’t want me to but... Things got bad and – I really, really missed you.”

That was generous. He lost Bruce, then Pepper left him, then Cap went off the deep end, and he was left fixing all of it by himself – Ultron and the Sokovia Accords and what was left of his heart after he watched the Winter Soldier murder his mother. But there was no point in going into all that right then – it would only make Bruce feel guilty, as well as Pepper, and that’s not what he wanted. 

Bruce’s eyes were already casting themselves down to the floor but Tony pushed on his head a little, bringing his face back up to look at him. 

“It’s okay – it's just... I got desperate enough to find Betty and see if she knew where you were. I – I hoped you had just shacked up with her, left my mess behind you. I wouldn’t have blamed you. I _ was _ a mess.”

The pained expression that slipped over Bruce’s face was warranted but it still hurt. Yeah, Tony understood – he had fucked up with Ultron. He fucked up a lot and he never wanted to apologize for it, especially when it still felt warranted. But the idea that he might have played any part in having driven Bruce away was more than he could stand. Pepper ran a hand through Tony’s hair affectionately, an attempt at comforting him. She understood better than anyone. 

“No one had asked me about you in – god,” Betty winced and Bruce turned to look at her again as Tony let his hand fall away from Bruce’s face and she lifted hers, brushing away curls that were no longer there. “It was... so nice. To talk about you.”

“I hoped you’d moved on,” Bruce confessed quietly and Pepper reached across Tony’s lap to place a hand on his forearm. 

It was hard not to feel for him. They knew all of his past, confessed in little whispers across pillows and between bedsheets. They both knew how hard this must be for him – _ and _ how much he wanted it. 

“I tried,” she admitted. “I did, for a while. But you’ll always have a piece of my heart.” 

Tony couldn’t help it, it was like Betty was disclosing everything that was in his own heart, and he leaned forward against Bruce’s shoulder, pressing his face into it, kissing it softly, wanting more but not wanting to force it. 

Bruce looked at her then at Tony and Pepper and even from his limited vantage point against Bruce’s shoulder Tony could see how overwhelmed he looked, surely putting the pieces together slowly and putting himself at the center – though it wasn’t really like that. 

“You don’t know what it was like,” Betty said sadly as Bruce turned back to her. “No one talked about you – ever. It was like you had died but clearly you hadn’t. Everyone was just so afraid to, especially after... well. The Hulk being plastered all over TV.” 

She grimaced when she said it and Bruce’s face fell to his lap. Tony could feel his body tremble beneath his lips and Pepper’s grip tightened on his forearm. 

“Two years.” 

It was barely a whisper and Tony lifted his hand to the base of Bruce’s neck, massaging slow circles into it with his thumb and feeling Bruce melt against him a little, trying to calm the flurry of success he felt in his gut. 

“We never forgot about you,” Pepper said and Bruce couldn’t force his eyes up at her, still staring at his knees like it would change anything. 

“You should have,” he said and it wasn’t even sad, just a statement of fact. “I wanted you to. I – I fucked everything up.”

Tony couldn’t help it. In light of everything, he started to laugh. Pepper kicked him and even Betty made a face but honestly – _ Bruce _ fucked everything up? 

“Look baby, I think I need to fill you in on some of the history here,” Tony said, grinning at him and tilting his head down to try to get a look at him. “I was at _ least _ one half of Ultron, remember? And because of that I was forced into a pissing match with Steve that divided the team and now you’ve come home and we’re sleeping with your ex-girlfriend.” 

He could feel both ladies glaring daggers at him for that but he didn’t care – he was focused on Bruce. Bruce, who had stopped trembling and instead slowly turned his eyes up to look at him, grinning that shy, boyish grin that was exceedingly handsome and made Tony want to kiss him until he was breathless. 

“She is pretty great, huh?” 

“_ Hell _ yeah!” Tony said, sitting up straight, grinning back at him. “Best lab partner I ever had.” 

“Hey,” Bruce protested but Tony just bumped his shoulder with his own and bit his lip on an unstoppable smile. 

He knew it was too early to hope for anything – that Bruce had been off world for two years and the adjustment that would take... Tony couldn’t imagine. But just that little moment had given him a lot of hope that they would eventually get their Bruce back for real. 

“Tony, by comparison, is a horrible lab partner,” Betty teased with an affectionate look in her dark eyes that betrayed the depth of feeling that had grown between them since she'd moved in there. “He never follows procedure and argues all the time and he would rather run every model on a computer than test it in real life.” 

“I _ know _,” Bruce huffed – but his expression softened almost instantly. “I... missed it.” 

“We missed you too, Big Guy,” Tony said, running his hand down his back. “Right Pep?” 

“Absolutely,” she agreed, patting his arm. “I don’t think we would have even broken up if you had still been in the picture.” 

It was the truth but then it was Tony’s turn to look at her with wide eyes and a sharp frown, wondering why in the hell she would bring that up now.

“It was _ hard _,” Pepper defended herself and Tony sighed, leaning his head back into Bruce’s shoulder as Bruce stared at them, surprised by the confession that they'd broken up. 

“It _ was _ hard,” Tony agreed, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently, watching her face relax. “But we’re figuring it out.”

“And you’re home now,” she said to Bruce, giving him one of her warm, sincere smiles and Bruce tried to smile back but it fell immediately and he stared back at his knees. 

“Home,” he said slowly, like he didn’t believe it, and Tony turned his head to look up at him. 

“I mean, this is just the helicarrier, you know that right?” Tony asked, trying to get a look at his eyes but Bruce wasn’t having it so he continued. “We can stay here if you want but we do have an actual place upstate now. I really think you’d like it. There’s a whole new Avengers facility there and it’s in the mountains and I think Hulk would love running around out...”

But his voice trailed off at the way Bruce crunched up at the mention of the Hulk and Tony sat up straight again, looking over at Betty who looked just as confused as him. She hadn’t been around Bruce much after the incident, of course, but they had talked about it, how the Hulk used to help on missions, how Bruce was coming to accept his alter ego as a part of himself, how much more control he had over the transformations now – but right then it felt like they were thrown back in time to the first time they’d met on a helicarrier much larger than this one and Bruce was confessing to trying to blow his brains out. 

“Two _ years _ ,” he repeated, hunching up on himself. “I spent _ two years _ as the Hulk.” 

Then suddenly it all made sense. Pepper had misinterpreted his upset when she told him they hadn’t forgotten about him. He wasn’t upset about being gone for two years. He was upset about being _ gone _ for two years.

“Holy shit,” Tony breathed, feeling Pepper’s hand clutch his hard and Betty wrapped her arms around Bruce’s neck and pressed his head to her chest as Tony moved his hand up and down his back in what he hoped was a comforting motion. 

“I – I don’t think I can –” Bruce tried, reaching out to grab Betty’s arm, struggling to breathe even breaths and after watching the difficulty he had transforming just ten minutes ago, Tony really didn’t want him to become distressed again.

“Hey – you don’t have to. I’m retired,” Tony soothed as Pepper snorted an inelegant laugh but he continued. “I don’t do missions anymore. I do some R&D, tinker around with Betty, make Pep’s life hell, outfit the guys on the ground, you know – retired stuff.” 

“And we can figure it out,” Betty said, “the three of us. We’ll run tests, compare the data against what Tony currently has from before.”

“You don’t even have to do that if you don’t want,” Pepper added, placing her hand on his knee, running her thumb against it. “Whatever you want, anything you want.”

But before the last word fully left her lips he was gasping and breaking away, standing quickly and wrapping his arms around himself, leaving them all feeling guilty for whatever they’d done. Or at least, Tony felt guilty and he decided to share the wealth by projecting it on the women. 

“This is – it’s too much!” he admitted, breathing hard, keeping his back towards them. “You all just – I _ can’t _ – !”

“I know it’s going to take a while to understand,” Tony offered but Bruce shook his head. 

“You – together – but also...” 

Bruce turned around slowly to take them in with a wild look in his eyes and then Tony understood. He immediately understood. 

Bruce’s skin was prickled and tight with nerves and his hard dick was obvious in the sweat pants and his chest was not falling right and all that heavy post-mission petting and those dense wool blankets and stupid, soothing whale music came back to him in a flash. Bruce had just spent two years as the Hulk and now he was human again and his whole body was thrumming with it, irradiated and electric and powerfully oversensitive and they had been overloading him with touch ever since he’d come back. 

“Oh baby,” Tony said softly as he stood, meeting him midway and pausing, uncertain. It had been two years, afterall. “What do you need? Do you need us to leave? Or just me and Pep? Or Betty? Because we’re big kids, you know, we’ll understand if you need some time. No hurt feelings – promise.” 

Bruce had been nodding along shakily as Tony talked. So when he finished he shot Bruce an expectant look, waiting to be turned away, but Bruce’s mouth opened and something else entirely came out. 

“P-please don’t leave me,” he moaned, his whole body tremoring so hard Tony thought there was a good chance it was going to fall apart. 

So he moved in to hold him together, wrapping him up in his arms and kissing him on the mouth and feeling him capitulate completely. Tony had imagined that moment so many times, alone and desperate, left by not only Bruce but Pepper too and all he had wanted was _ this _ – Pepper by his side and Bruce to be home and now he had it. He had that and _ more _. 

And then Betty was there too and Tony stepped around behind him, slipping his hands beneath the shirt he’d only just dressed Bruce in, pressing them flat against his bare skin and feeling the flighty beat of his heart as Betty kissed him. He lay his head on Bruce’s back, tucked up tight against him as he pulled him in against his chest, grounding him with his own body, reminding him where he was with his touch. 

He was home. He was home and that’s where he needed to be. Here, with Tony. With Tony and Pepper and Betty. Come back, he whispered with his fingers splayed against Bruce’s stomach, pressing hard into the soft flesh. Come back to us. Come back to _ me _. 

And then Pepper was there as well, kissing his cheek, running her lips over to take over from Betty for a moment, making sure he knew she wanted him there too before grinning at Betty and letting her kiss him again. Pepper looked over Bruce’s shoulder at Tony and he looked back, sharing a smile before she leaned over and kissed him too. They both knew there were so many wasted years between Bruce and Betty – and that maybe one day it would just be them again and that would be okay. But right now Bruce needed them – all of them – and Pepper drew away to bury her head in his neck, kissing at his jawline, and her hands met Tony’s under his shirt, edging into his waistband. 

Bruce was trembling so bad he could hardly stand when Tony suggested that maybe they should take this tango horizontal. He was pretty sure had Bruce been more cognizant he would have grouched about that stupid metaphor – but he wasn’t. Instead Bruce let himself be led to the bed, undressed by a cacophony of hands, and ushered into the middle of the bed. 

Through some unbelievable divine understanding that had to have been born out of having done this in some form or fashion before, Betty ended up tucked up against his right and Pepper his left as Tony took up residence between his legs.

And fuck – Tony knew this wasn’t about him but Bruce looked absolutely ravishing pressed between their two gorgeous women, Bruce’s eyes lust heavy and their hands and mouths all over him... his lips, his chest, his neck, his nipples. It was like a renaissance painting, all light on one side and dark on the other, Bruce trapped in between and tortured, face twisted in delicious agony and Tony was wet with it. 

Tony’s own dick was leaking precum into his pants as he stripped off his shirt and tie, feeling suddenly like he couldn’t breathe. _ Christ _ how he wanted to touch him, wanted to fuck him, wanted to bury himself so far up in Bruce’s body that he’d never forget him. But when Tony touched Bruce’s thighs the tension was so tight there he could feel Bruce’s muscles straining between his fingers and he knew he couldn't. Not this time. There would be time enough for all that later. Time enough to show him how he really felt. The helicarrier didn’t have to land until he did. He’d make damn sure of it. 

Bruce was completely overwrought to the point that he was gasping against Betty’s lips as Pepper worked little red marks into the side of his neck, her long fingers meeting Betty’s in the center of Bruce’s chest, and it was like it represented everything that was his entire world right there and he was bursting with it. Tony imagined what it was going to be like, of course – if Bruce returned and they were all together at last – but he had no idea it was going to feel like _ this _. He had to get his head straight or he was going to be gasping just as hard as Bruce was and totally unable to suck his dick. And really, there was nothing more he wanted right then than to suck Bruce’s dick. 

He lay down between Bruce's legs, the size of the Hulk bed more than adequate for the task although this certainly hadn’t been his intention when he’d designed it. And he slipped his arms beneath Bruce's legs, pressing his shoulders into his knees and spreading them a little for easier access. His hands reached up to Bruce's waist, holding him steady, feeling the leanness in his hips and relishing in the thought of fattening him up again with dinners shared between the four of them. 

Tony pressed kisses against his inner thighs, taking his time, having imagined all of this so many times and wanting to really enjoy it now that it was here – really, truly here. Betty’s legs to his left and Pepper’s to his right and Bruce’s in between and the promise of dinners and breakfasts and long afternoons in the lab and gentle kisses and showers together and even fights and misunderstandings and space and just knowing that someone was there – always there... 

Bruce had to stay. He knew, he knew, he knew Bruce had been a lonely kid too. So he couldn’t be mad at the little group of people Tony had collected to fill his days with love and companionship, right? Bruce _ had _ to want that too. 

...right? 

Tony tried his best to force any doubt from his mind as he made his way up to Bruce’s dick. One of Bruce’s hands had managed to find Tony's and it grasped at his awkwardly, squeezing it tight as Tony finally descended on him. He cried out in unadulterated delight as Tony teased him, lapping at the sensitive underside of his dick then taking him in deep for a moment before bobbing back up to slide his tongue around the flared edge of his head. 

He looked up to watch Bruce’s throat as he moaned, his chest rising and falling with each little pant. But there was also Betty, his beautiful, intelligent Betty, a woman he didn’t even know he needed until he met her – kissing Bruce’s face all over, her hand at the base of his skull, cradling it just like Bruce liked, her nurturing nature more than Tony could handle sometimes. And then there was Pepper, his strong, confident Pepper who had been with him through so much – staring down Bruce’s chest at him with his mouth full of dick, her eyes alight with how horny it made her to watch him giving head and _ fuck _ ... How was he supposed to do this with _ all three of them _?

It had never taken Bruce very long after a transformation – hell. Tony had lost count of the number of times he’d put on pants only to have them ruined in the back of a ship somewhere as Tony got him off with nothing but the friction of fabric and his palm. And despite the length of time he’d spent as the Hulk, this time was no exception. 

Tony grasped back at the hand that was holding his, entwining their fingers together and squeezing hard as he felt Bruce start to lose it. Bruce’s hips were rocking just a little and his legs were so tight Tony was sure they were going to cramp and he cried out. Bruce's cry was a guttural cry of pleasure and relief that made Tony’s stomach twist with desire as he swallowed around his swollen dick, making sure to finish him off completely. 

Bruce’s thighs twitched with aftershock as they relaxed and Tony dropped even more kisses against them for a moment before slipping his hand from Bruce’s so he could sit up and rub them down. Betty was still kissing him softly, his neck, his jaw, the side of his mouth, but Pepper was sliding back so that Tony could settle himself in between her and Bruce. He gave her an appreciative smile, leaning down over her to kiss her a moment before he slotted himself in next to Bruce. 

Pepper knew better than anyone just how much Tony had missed the other man. She loved Bruce, of course, more than she had ever expected to – but not the way Tony loved him. But Pepper also knew that even when they fought and took a break, called it quits, she never had any reason to doubt how Tony felt about her either. And watching how he waited faithfully for Bruce to return only reiterated to her how big his heart truly was. 

Tony could feel her smile pressed into his shoulder blade as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. His dick was hard on Bruce’s thigh but he didn’t care – it just felt good. It felt right. And he put one hand on Bruce’s chest and the other over hers, looking across him at Betty. Her eyes shifted from Bruce’s face to his for a moment, changing from disbelief to gratitude and Tony reached out for her, brushing her bangs from her face, smiling back at her with a soft and honest smile, pleased that they could share this together – having Bruce back. If anyone could understand how much having Bruce back meant to him, it was her.

When Tony invited her out to New York it really was with the most innocent of intentions. She was clearly just thrilled to talk about Bruce with someone who knew him and she kept him on the phone for over an hour as they laughed, sharing stories and reminiscing about a man they both loved and missed daily. And he knew about her research, read articles by her, and she was wickedly smart and so why wouldn’t he invite her down to talk shop and Bruce with her?

But one thing lead to another and just like always when he was impressed and charmed by someone, Tony was offering to put her on the payroll and give her unlimited lab access and, unlike Bruce, he didn’t have to ask her twice. 

She moved into a short lease apartment and Tony tried to guard his heart against her but with both Pepper and Bruce gone... he was lonely. And she was lonely. And they bonded over work and Bruce and bitching about her dad and he didn’t make a move, not until he’d reconciled with Pepper. But after they’d gotten back together and started to remodel their place upstate and Betty’s lease neared its end, Pepper agreed they should ask her to move in with them. They had plenty of space, after all, and Betty didn’t like the sterility of living on the facility or the difficulty finding a decent place to rent nearby – but then it was only a matter of time before shared dinners turned into shared bedrooms.

Betty was nurturing and kind, easy going and self-assured. She didn’t have a lot of the same hang-ups that Tony and Bruce had and he liked that it took the pressure off Pepper. He liked how she didn’t try to mince words or baby him or shy away from hard conversations. He liked that she didn’t take his personal shit personally. He liked how he would catch her and Pepper talking quietly and then bursting into laughter. He liked coming to bed to find them nestled up against each other. He liked how sometimes she just wanted to talk about Bruce. He liked how she never seemed to get scared. He liked what a natural fit she was in their lives. He liked how easy it was to love her.

But their moment was interrupted when Bruce started to chuckle. 

Tony looked over at him. There were tears caught in Bruce’s lashes and they tracked down his cheeks as he closed his eyes, his laugh becoming nearly hysterical. Betty’s brows furrowed in concern as she sat up a little, pressing a hand to his chest, but Tony had been here before, he knew that laugh, and he was bracing for whatever Bruce was about to say next. 

“Tony Stark,” he bit out sarcastically as he eased down out of his laugh, cracking his eyes open to shoot him a pissed off look. “The Grandmaster has _ nothing _ on you.”

Tony didn’t understand the reference but he took up the challenge and didn’t look away either. 

“Oh my god,” Bruce groaned, looking at the ceiling and closing his eyes, a brief flash of humiliation on his face. “I just traded one orgy ship for another.” 

Tony made a disgruntled sound and he felt Pepper’s chin on his shoulder as she looked down at him. 

“What?” she asked, shocked, as Betty’s face slowly sank. 

“Orgy ship is a little gratuitous,” Tony shot back. 

He hated when Bruce got into a mood but he never backed down from a fight with him. Tony knew Bruce hated to be treated with kid gloves and he really didn’t blame him. 

“How many times had I told you?” Bruce asked, looking back over at him, clearly angry now. “Betty deserves more than me, more than – this! She deserved something _ normal _.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. He might have been mad, but Tony noted that he wasn’t mad enough to sit up or get out of bed, so he would take his chances. 

“I didn’t exactly show up at my alma mater with a fucking orgy ship and a bed of roses,” he snapped and he heard Pepper sigh and felt her fall back into the bed, never having been particularly impressed by their arguments. “She made her own decisions.”

“Yeah, and you didn’t woo her with labs and funding and payroll?” 

It was hurtful because Bruce knew he did and he knew because he’d made Bruce the same offer. And it wasn’t some kind of ‘woo’ or whatever – at least it hadn’t meant to be. Tony knew Bruce was just being shitty and trying to hurt him but if Bruce really viewed his offer as that, a worthless romantic overture and not the intimate show of respect that it was, it would fundamentally change the foundation of their relationship. 

“Yeah and I whipped my dick out too.” 

Tony was glaring right at him so he completely missed the look on Betty’s face before he heard her speak. 

“Don’t I _ deserve _ to be happy?” 

That got their attention and they both looked over at her. Tony even felt Pepper sit up behind him and put her hand on his arm again. Betty’s face was as serious as Tony had ever seen it and Bruce was looking up at her, surprised. 

“Don’t be such an asshole,” she said, her voice hard. “Since when do _ you _ get to decide what I want or what I deserve?”

“I – I only –” Bruce tried to back track and while he was pretty sure Pepper was trying not to laugh, mostly Tony was just impressed. 

“I wanted _ you _ and you left, right? But that doesn’t mean I wanted _ normal _ ,” she continued, studying his eyes intensely as he lay there overwhelmed. “I _ love _ this. Being with Tony and Pepper? This is the most ‘normal’ I’ve felt in _ years _. Imagine living with what I’ve seen, with what we’ve done – it’s not like I didn’t help you on that research – and having to pack it up every day and pretend it never even happened?” 

Tony looked up at Pepper and he could see she wanted to reach out to her but thought better of it. Betty clearly wasn’t done yet. They knew what she was saying – she’d told them this, if not in so many words, and they understood it implicitly – but hearing her say it out loud was strangely validating. He was sure Pepper felt the same.

“I know you wanted this once too,” Betty said, her voice becoming softer and less angry, more sad, knowing just as well as Tony did how Bruce always denied himself the things he wanted. “Don’t treat me like I’m somehow better than you.” 

Tony watched as she slipped her hand up to cradle his cheek lovingly, running her thumb along it, making his heart do something funny to see her treat his Bruce so gently. 

“Tony says he thinks you left happiness trying to chase down something you thought could be normal,” she said slowly, watching the pained look that crossed his face. “But you’re not normal. You’ve never been normal. I don’t blame you for wanting that or even for trying to get it – but I’m too old to follow you down that path when I’ve got everything else I could want right here. Don’t – Why force yourself to choose?”

Bruce couldn’t take it any more and he looked away, Betty dropping her own eyes to give him space. Tony knew it was too much to ask right then – that it was going to take Bruce some time to figure out how he felt, what he wanted. He knew Nat was still there, waiting for him if he wanted it, and he knew that it might hurt a little, but that they would all be okay if he did. The important thing was that Bruce was back, whether he decided to stay with them or not.

Still, he couldn’t help tightening his arm around Bruce's waist possessively, pressing his face into the crook of his arm for at least a moment. There was nothing Bruce could do or say that would have erased how badly he’d missed him over the past two years.

“Fuck,” Pepper muttered as she shifted to get out of bed. “I have to be on a call with the DoD in the next ten minutes. Can we table this discussion for later?” 

“Uh... sure?” Bruce’s voice came out thick and Tony couldn’t help but chuckle into his skin. 

“I know we’re on the helicarrier but that’s never stopped either of you two idiots from bailing before so let me make it clear – I expect _ all _ of you to be here when I get back in an hour, okay?” she said, her tone leaving absolutely no room for compromise. Fuck but Tony loved her. “Somehow I’ve managed to get attached to the three of you so promise me you won’t fuck it up before I get back?”

“Yes ma’am,” Tony replied from against Bruce’s skin and she paused then walked back over to the bed, smacking his ass playfully. 

“Don’t be smart,” she teased but then paused, swallowing down her smile and leaning over Tony, grasping Bruce’s chin and forcing him to look at her. “I really am glad you’re home. I hope that you’re glad too. And if not, we’ll figure it out, but give yourself some time, okay? You’ve been through a lot.”

Even that was more than Bruce could take and he turned his face away almost as soon as she dropped her hand. Betty grasped it though before it could go too far, giving it a little squeeze, and they shared a smile before she let go and Pepper moved away, dropping a kiss on Tony’s cheek before heading to the bathroom to neaten up. 

Tony wanted to tell him how much he loved him, how much he missed him and how happy he was that he was there – but he didn’t want it to come off badly, like a guilt trip, especially after everything Betty had said, so he kept his mouth shut. Despite the prevailing ideology that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, he was _ trying _ . Instead Tony took comfort in just having Bruce there, in his bed, in his arms, his breathing evening out, his body relaxing despite his mental state, because he had to know – he was safe. He was loved. He was _ home _. 

But after a few minutes Tony felt Bruce shift, moving his arm from his side, Tony adjusting around it so that Bruce could tuck it under his head and around his back, holding him in close. Bruce’s lips found the top of his head and kissed him as he whispered, 

“I really _ did _ miss you, you know.” 

“I know,” Tony replied quietly, biting his tongue on any number of jokes about how amazing he was in favor of the unfiltered truth. “I missed you too, Big Guy. More than you’ll ever know.” 

Betty had settled into a similar spot on the other side of him and she reached over Bruce’s chest to place her palm on his cheek. Tony looked across at her at the simple contact, sharing a look that meant everything. A look of gratitude. A look of love. A look of _ happiness _. 

Tony smiled back, just a little smile, honest in it’s intent – hoping that one day, with time and all of their help, Bruce would be able to choose happiness too and smile at him like that again.


End file.
